WhiteBoard News for Wednesday, April 2, 2003

Everett, Washington (AP):

A man charged with having methamphetamine production equipment and stolen machinery at his dairy farm was upset when his bail was raised and ran from the courtroom. 

Moments later he was back in custody with bail set at $2 million -- 50 times the original figure. 

Curtis Neal Vanputten, 32, of Marysville, free on $40,000 bail, appeared Monday in Snohomish County Superior Court and was told he was about to be jailed again with bail raised to $100,000 because he missed earlier proceedings. 

Vanputten made it outside the courthouse, then slipped and fell on a sidewalk and was caught by two pursuers, law clerk Matt Walker and Marshal Richard Wigsmoen. 

Walker held Vanputten and Wigsmoen called police. Wigsmoen said he had to use pepper spray to stop Vanputten from struggling and to put him handcuffs. 

Back in court, Judge George N. Bowden reset bail at $2 million. 

Vanputten is accused of hiding stolen trucks, cars and a backhoe. Investigators also wrote in court documents that two active meth labs were found on his farm, one in a shed and the other in an unused milking barn. 
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Berlin, Germany (Reuters):

A German artist who turns dried cow manure into wall clocks and small sculptures wants to expand his repertory to include cow dung wrist watches. 

"Artists are always looking for new materials and I was struck by the similarities in the consistency of the manure to my paints," said
Bernd Eilts, 43. "I used sheep droppings at first but they were too small so I switched to cow dung." 

Eilts said the idea came to him as he walked through a mound-filled field 10 years ago. He lets the cowpats dry out over a few weeks before sculpting, painting or lacquering them. 

He said animals fed on fresh grass produced the best pats, but other foods made for interesting varieties. "Cows fed on carrots and turnips produce a reddish dung, which looks quite different from the normal material." 

His trademark clocks cost 150 euros ($140), and he said wrist watches and even alarm clocks may soon appear. 

Eilts made his first splash in the Dutch town of Groningen in 2000 with an exhibit entitled "Bullshit." 
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Fredonia, New York (AP):

An ice cream maker is inviting April fools to line up for a taste of his newest flavor: suffering succotash. 

Scott Aldrich mixed corn and lima beans with vanilla ice cream and threw in pimentos for color. 

The concoction continues his 20-year tradition of making a bizarre flavor in honor of April Fools' Day. 

"I don't know how we came up with it, we just picked it," he said. 

With 35 gallons on hand, Aldrich Beef and Ice Cream Parlor, about 40 miles southwest of Buffalo, is offering free samples beginning first thing Tuesday. 

Past flavors have incorporated, among other things, sauerkraut, bacon and eggs, creamed corn, pork and beans and beef gravy. 
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Marina del Rey, California (AP):

The law firm Berger, Kahn, Shafton, Moss, Figler, Simon & Gladstone has decided its name was too much of a mouthful. 

Now it will just be Berger Kahn. 

"Everybody is delighted," managing partner Allen Michel said Tuesday. 

The change _ dropping 13 syllables to just three _ is part of a trend among law firms with long names to shorten them. 

"When we were younger, many of us, including me, thought we needed our name on the door to feel important," said Craig Simon, another managing partner. "Now that we are wiser, we know that seven names is too many." 

Michel said his colleagues voted unanimously for the change partly because they hear chuckles in the courtroom each time they mention the firm's name. 

The change means his office will "save a lot of ink and toner" when printing documents with the firm's name. 

There's also another benefit. 

"We expect our receptionist to be able to handle more calls without saying the full firm's name," Michel said. 
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